Waters

My paternal grandmother was Winifred Ellen Waters. Please refer to my blog about her here.

Winifred's parents were: Albert Edward Waters and Eva Bowes.

Albert Edward Waters

Albert Waters was born in 1884 in Hungate Lane in Beccles, county Suffolk. He first worked as an apprentice Blacksmith, shoeing horses at local farms in and around Beccles. Albert grew up in Puddingmoor, at the Bathing Place where his parents were the Superintendents. Albert worked most of his life at Elliot & Garrood Ltd (Ironfounders) in Beccles.
Albert was devoutly religious and was an active member of Beccles Methodist Church in Beccles. In his retirement years he worked as Verger for the Station Road Methodist Chapel (no longer in existence - is now housing). See my blog about Vergers.
Albert had three brothers who all died at an early age. His eldest brother William Burgione Waters, who served with the Norfolk Regiment, was "Killed in Action" on 21 May 1917, aged 27. You can see his name listed on the War Memorial monument outside Beccles Hospital.
Albert and Eva were married for almost sixty years.
Also, see http://www.ptk.ca/reid_waters/gen/gen_wat.html for more detail about Albert Waters' ancestry.

WATERS ANCESTRY

The Waters ancestry has so far been traced back to John Waters (born about 1774) who died in 1835 in Beccles. It is believed that he was born in or around Great Yarmouth, co. Norfolk, s/o William Waters and Mary Gooch although this is still yet to be proven. Most of the Waters family lived in Ringsfield and Beccles from the 1800s to the 1900s.
John Waters married Mary Ann Clarke, d/o John Clarke and Sarah, formerly Algar, in Barnby, co. Suffolk in 1809. It is possible that John and one brother James Waters both came to the Beccles area by wherry, from Yarmouth, around 1809 to gain employment on the wealth of surrounding farming land. James married Susannah Waters in Barnby in 1810 and they eventually setttled in Bungay.

John and Mary Ann Waters had at least eight known children:
Mary Ann (1810)
William (1811)
John (1813)
Robert (1815)
Sarah Ann (1819)
Charlotte (1821)
Maria (1824)
George (1829)

George Waters

George Waters was a Railway Platelayer by trade. It is very likely that he helped construct the Waveney Railway line (part of the GER) between Beccles and Bungay. George married Hannah Turrell, d/o Issac Turrell and Sarah, formerly Rivet. Hannah was born in Shipmeadow in 1820.

George and Hannah were married in 1859 in Worlingham and they had three known children:
Edward John (1859)
William George (1860)
Sarah (1862)

William George Waters

William George Waters married Emily Gunns in 1882 in Beccles, county Suffolk. Emily worked as a Cook Domestic Servant in Exchange Square, Beccles before she married William George Waters (Source : 1881 census return). Emily was born in 1859 in Strumpshaw, d/o Horace Gunns and Sarah Ann, formerly Harrison.

William and Emily Waters had five known children:
Albert Edward (1884) My great-grandfather (see above)
Sarah Ellen (1887)
William Burgione (1889)
Leonard Herbert (1896) (died 1902)
Horace Harold (1898) (died 1915)

William George Waters worked at the Hungate Ironworks (now defunct) and sometime after his marriage to Emily they became the Superintendents of the Beccles Bathing Place in Puddingmoor, through to around the 1920s. He is listed in several County Trade Directories such as Kelly's of 1912 and 1925/26. Below is a photograph of the Bathing Place from my private postcard collection:

Beccles Bathing Place, circa 1905

William was well known for enjoying a drink, which his son Albert detested bitterly, and his favourite public house was the Pickerel Inn which was in Puddingmoor, a mere stones throw away from the Bathing Place.